DEVIN TOWNSEND: 'This Last Year And A Half Was The Most Complicated My Life Has Ever Been On A Personal Level'

In a new interview with Finland's Chaoszine, Canadian visionary musician, composer, and producer Devin Townsend — who is promoting his upcoming rock opera "The Moth" — discussed his songwriting process, particularly as it relates to some of his recent releases. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "This last year and a half was the most complicated my life has ever been on a personal level. So whatever the input is in my life, the output is going to mirror. I look forward to being able to make something that's calm and beautiful, because what that would suggest is that my life was calm and beautiful. But the most important part of the process to me at this stage in my career is just being honest with it. Like, 'This is what I hear, and this is how it goes.'

"I never know what I'm gonna write until I start writing," he explained. "And each time I start writing, the most surprised person of us all is me. I'm, like, 'Oh, shit. I guess this is what I'm writing now.' And then from there, the most important part of it's just doing it so that it's accurate to the original vision."

Asked if he feels that there is ever going to be anything that will alienate his fans or make them say that, 'Okay, Dev, you've gone too far,' he responded: "'The Moth'? How about 'The Moth'? I can't let that play into my process, man. I really can't. And I think that one of the reasons why the audience has been so tolerant is they probably know how I'm not a slave to it. 'Cause that, again, sounds way more dramatic than it is, because I do love it — I love aspects of it, let's say. But when I have an idea, I just feel like my role as an artist, quote-unquote, is I just have to try and do it properly. It's, like, I'll have a moment of creative compulsion a decade ago, and I'll be, like, 'Oh, it's an orchestral thing and it's super dark and it's super complicated and it has to be ugly and it has something to do with sex and it has something to do with transformation and confluence of power and fear in society and how that reflects on intimacy,' and whatever it is. It's, like, whatever the original idea is, I'm, like, 'Oh, I know what to do.' And then I just feel like my job as a creative is just to do it properly. And so I keep following it where it leads. I'll be, like, 'Oh, shit. It requires a really big orchestra.' 'Oh, shit. It requires a really big choir.' It's very intense on so many levels. And then I just do my best to make it accurate. And then my hope is that the audience that has been supportive of me is just, like, 'Well, that's what he does. He can't help it. So here's the next one.' And my hope is that I can just keep making them."

Regarding how his various projects influence each other in terms of their overall musical and lyrical vision, Devin said: "It all bleeds into each other. That's just how it goes. The reaction to one often defines the nature of the next one. Whatever I've done, the next thing is gonna be either the opposite of it or, again, a reflection of what I learned as a result of going through the process.

"How does 'The Moth' inform everything going forward? Personally, I feel that there's gonna be a before and an after with this part of my work," he revealed. "There's gonna be a before I did 'The Moth' and there's gonna be an after I did 'The Moth'. And you could say that about every record, but I think just psychologically, it's like a big shift that has occurred as a result of doing this one. And maybe that shift is just the ramifications of being willing to face it, to be willing to get into the mud with myself and look at the less pleasant parts of my personality and then come to some sort of conclusions from that. I think what that yielded for me, if I can be so bold, is a sense of perspective on who I actually am versus who I would like to portray myself as, and that will affect myself moving forward, I think, in the ways that I probably will care less about whether or not the ideas that I have moving forward might not appeal to people. I don't know. I have no idea, brother. All I do is hope that what I'm doing is enough to allow me to keep going."

An album over a decade in the making, "The Moth" will finally arrive on May 29, 2026. This 24-track record began as a vague vision more than a decade ago. It existed in the back of Devin Townsend's mind as his "life's work". Then, about six years ago, after an acoustic show in Amsterdam, Townsend was approached by the head of the Noord Nederlands Orkest (North Netherlands Symphony Orchestra) with an offer: bring orchestral grandeur to Devin's extensive discography.

"The Moth" constitutes three distinct parts across its release. In addition to the main album, "The Moth - The Afterlife" highlights the grandeur of the orchestra and choir, in what might be considered a more pure version of "The Moth" experience. "The Moth - The War" is a recording of the live musical debut that took place in March 2025 in The Netherlands, showcasing the raw emotion of performing "The Moth" for the very first time.

"The Moth" will be available on several formats, including limited deluxe 3CD+Blu-ray artbook that includes the album on CD1, "The Moth - The Afterlife" on CD2 and "The Moth - The War (Live)" on CD3. The Blu-ray includes the full "The Moth - The War" live film, as well as Dolby Atmos and High Resolution Stereo mixes of "The Moth" and "The Moth - The Afterlife". It will also be available as limited 2CD edition (including "The Moth - The Afterlife" on CD2),standard CD jewelcase and as gatefold triple-gatefold 180g 2LP and fold-out LP booklet, as well as digitally.

Photo credit: Tom Hawkins